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Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
 
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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Redid how-to below.
Posted on: 2009/6/1 18:33
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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HOW TO CHANGE THE LEDS FOR YOUR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER.
 SUPPLIES NEEDED: -Soldering Iron, with pointy (conical) tip (with a low wattage) (Can be purchased from Home Depot for $12-$14) -1 roll of Solder, about $4 a roll   -Tweezers -3 Bowls to separate the leds and to store the screws. -Phillip screwdriver -30 PLCC2 3.5mm x 2.8mm single color/top emitting LEDS with a LIGHT INTENSITY within 150-300. ***Can be purchased either from here, ELED.COM , or you can find them on ebay for a cheaper price. ***If you plan to change the needles to a different color, subtract 4 leds from your total and add 6 of another color. *** You will also need to purchase a small tube of reflective paint from an arts and craft store to repaint the back of the needles. This project depending on skill, may take up to 1hr 30 minutes to 3 hours of your time to complete. ***FILL YOUR GAS TANK COMPLETELY BEFORE ATTEMPTING*** Needed for needle placement after project is over.
Posted on: 2009/6/2 10:08
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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 Before I tackled this project, I had no experience prior to this with soldering. So I practiced on a small electronic device, reattaching items to it. That little bit of practice made me understand soldering a bit. I would suggest doing the same if you have no experience like I did.  Pull the steering wheel lever down to give you room to work.  Remove the two top screws above the instrument cluster.  Pull out the black frame.  Remove the two screws at the bottom and the two screws at the top. Pull out the instrument Cluster. There are 3 clips attached to it, reach behind it and pull them out.    
Posted on: 2009/6/2 10:29
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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 Remove the clear cover by pushing in the clips around the cluster    Do the same for the black bracket, remove clips around the outer edge of the cluster.  Will look like this
Posted on: 2009/6/2 10:40
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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Removing the Needles
  The best way I can describe removing the needles without breaking it, is combining both pictures provided. Hold the base of the needle shown above with your left hand, and using your right hand, slide a DULL knife under it. Now with both your hands pry it UP and UP only. It will pop right out, if you pull it in your direction or anywhere but up, it will possibly break.  ***You gas should be filled up, which will make it easier placing your gas needle in the correct spot. Also try to remember where the other needles rest at.*** Peel off the front graphic. It has reusable glue on it, so do not get it dirty. Keep it in a clean area.     ***When you remove the graphic, there will be a plastic protective covering over the LCD screen, it may fall out, so be sure to grab it before you accidently lose it.*** 
Posted on: 2009/6/2 10:52
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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Before advancing, we need to remove the LCD screen. IT IS VERY DELICATE so be careful.
First take that dull knife, and use it to carefull lift it a bit to gain some leverage to lift it with your finger. I would reccomend starting on one side first and switch to the other side with the needles. Once you have a good grip with your fingers slowly pull it out. If you have a Manual transmission it will look smaller than the one in the picture provided.  A picture of the LCD screen removed. Notice how delicate it appears.  Once thats done we should have this.  Flip the cluster to the back, and remove the 5 gold screws  Flip the cluster back to the front and on the edge of it, remove the back covering by pressing the clips in.  You should now be able to see the back of the circuit board.  Now still at the back of the cluster, press it another group of clips holding in the circuit board.  We now Have the circuit board, soldering is next. 
Posted on: 2009/6/2 11:04
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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 I'm not much of an electrician, but the LEDs have a negative and positive side. It's determined based on the corner of the LED. As shown in the diagram above, the stocks in my car were placed with the corner down. If I were to solder my LEDs in that position they would not turn on. When you start soldering ONLY solder just one led to find the correct position they should be in. Once one works they will all be in the position. Try one and test it out:  This is how one LED looks.  There are 3 sections of LEDS on the circuit board Left, Middle and the Right. The Left is the easiest and it gets harder to solder going towards the right, and thats based just on there being not enough room. The middle LED of thegroups is the red LED. If you do not want to change it don't touch it. Left Side:  Middle:  Right:  Try to develop a technique when soldering. I would melt one side of the LED to loosed it up and quickly switch to the other and lifted it up with the tweezers.  If one LED is not working, others won't work be aware of that. So I reccomend soldering one at a time and checking it to make sure it works. Once you feel very comfortable in soldering the LEDs go straight through it. When your done it should look like this.  ***If your planning to change the needle color, you have to not only change the LEDs but you have to remove the paint on the needles too. You can use just a q-tip and rubbing alcohol to remove it with a few swipes. You will need to repaint it with reflective paint to regain the strong color of the needles.***  When your done it should look like this: You may also need to recallibrate your needles if you feel they aren't working. It may be a pain if you didnt put the needles in correctly. Completed: Here's a How-to to change the A/C Controls provided by:JCJ8008 A/C Controls Here's a How-to to change the lighted dimmer switch and trunk light, Provided by TUNER-LOTR Trunk Light/Dimmer Switch If you plan on doing the doors and a/c controls they usea differet LED. You will need about 40 3mm through-hole, round leds, it will need a viewing angel at 20 degrees and a light intensity preferably 150-500. Any questions email me at: Gan9ztaartiz@aol.com
Posted on: 2009/6/2 11:39
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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SK Alumni
 
Joined:
2005/11/29 7:15 From Broken Arrow/Tulsa, Oklahoma
Posts: 5230
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So now we have 2 of these How To's? Or did one of them get lost?
Posted on: 2009/6/2 11:50
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_________________
Before the beginning was a Cause and the entire purpose of the Cause was the creation of effect.  April 2007 ROTM
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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Quote:
AOL had my pictures stored, they killed the links and switched to photoworks. So I redid it with all the pictures uploaded on streetkiaz so it doesnt get killed again. *If you read this UD can you delete the other thread. the link is in the first post of this thread so its easy to find.
Posted on: 2009/6/2 11:53
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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SKXI
 
Joined:
2005/3/30 9:45 From Massachusetts
Posts: 12444
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All set. Thank you blak for doing that.
Posted on: 2009/6/2 13:41
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_________________
Mark Ingalls - Streetkiaz.com - Founder / MP mingalls@skxi.com-- streetkiaz.mark@gmail.com-- cardomain1 --cardomain2 
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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SK Alumni
Joined:
2005/7/5 18:53 From Fort Bragg/Charlotte, NC
Posts: 292
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wow thats hella nice, I'm going to see if I can get mine to come out right again :) Thanks.
Posted on: 2009/10/29 15:35
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_________________
 New Mods Pics and Info Check out Home Page! ¿quién es tu papi? My Myspace PageMy Cardomain Page. KS2 My QCT Car Club My INC Car Club My NT Car Club |
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Mechanic
 
Joined:
2009/11/10 1:36 From Georgia
Posts: 144
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where do u buy the leds needed, and can u not by replament gauge kits that have blue tint to get the same effect
Posted on: 2009/11/10 3:18
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_________________
Drive it like you stole it |
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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Quote:
I'm assuming you stopped reading when it said "supplies needed". lol anyways, you can get em there or you can just copy and paste the sizes on ebay or google and order them from where ever. And as for the guage kits, I don't think they make em for our cars. However, some clever member on here switched up the lights and made a unique pattern to the gauges and it looked like a guage kit. I cant find the pic but whoever you are post it to here so people get ideas.
Posted on: 2009/11/10 7:44
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Engineer
 
Joined:
2007/10/26 10:52 From Utica, NY
Posts: 4727
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Fairly easy mod. 3mm LED on ebay. Just look it up you can get like 100 for $5.00 + s/h
Posted on: 2009/11/10 8:44
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_________________
December 2008 ROTM Joke or not... if you are able to tune your turbo without issue, the streets are in trouble, and you will be responsible for the nightmares that will haunt the import world and Honda tuners alike. -UD- pedretti: that's OK, you can just go eat some of your ROFL waffles in the recruiter's office. then see if you have the qualifications |
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Re: Speedometer Color Change (How-to) |
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Master Mechanic
Joined:
2006/9/9 15:39 From Long Island, New York
Posts: 2481
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Bump
Posted on: 2/28 15:11:21
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